Owensboro, KY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 25-12.1 covers the public right-of-way generally, defined in the ordinance as the traveled portion of dedicated streets, roads, or alleys, including medians, from curb to curb, within the corporate limits of the city. Subsection (c) specifically bars obstruction of public sidewalks: no person may congregate upon a sidewalk, place property on it, or direct any improvement that encroaches on it in a manner that blocks the sidewalk or interferes with pedestrians moving through. The section was added by Ord. No. 24-99, adopted May 18, 1999, and its penalty clause in subsection (d) applies to every provision of the article, meaning a sidewalk obstruction is punished the same as the article's other prohibitions: a fine not to exceed $250.00, imprisonment for not more than ninety (90) days, or both.

Because each twenty-four-hour period the obstruction continues counts as a separate offense, an encroachment left in place for several days can multiply the fine well beyond the per-incident cap. The Owensboro Police Department is the enforcing agency for the article, and code enforcement can also act where an obstruction is tied to a permanent improvement such as a fence, planter, or building projection that was never approved to sit in the public right-of-way. Because the ordinance reaches any obstruction, not just vendor tables or displays, homeowners and businesses whose landscaping, signs, or construction materials spill onto the sidewalk are subject to the same prohibition and penalty as anyone who deliberately blocks a sidewalk to sell goods or solicit passersby.